But what are they suppose to do with old unused tires? wouldnt they recycle them anyway?
did a quick search..
The good news is that 80.4 percent of scrap tires in the United States are being reclaimed in various ways. In 2003, the reclamation statistics looked like this:
130 million tires were used as fuel
56 million tires were recycled or used in civil engineering projects
27.5 million tires were recycled into other products or projects; for example, rubber lumber, stall mats for horses, roof pads, sports mats, shower tiles, truck bed mats, and commercial flooring
12 million tires were ground up and used in rubber-modified asphalt for roads and athletic tracks
9 million tires were sent to other countries, where they are used to make retreads (although the United States cannot guarantee they are used in this manner)
In addition to the 290 million scrap tires, 16.5 million used tires are given new temporary life as retreads. Eventually these tires will be disposed of as well.
Why not make new tires from the old? Because of safety issues, new tires must be manufactured primarily from virgin rubber, with recycled rubber making up only 5 to 15 percent of the finished product. That leaves much scrap rubber for other uses, as noted above.
http://www.volunteerguide.org/hours/service-projects/used-tires